Eight people left homeless after fire

Updated 11:48 pm, Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Firefighters are responding to a blaze at a house on Stillman Avenue, May 7.

Firefighters are responding to a blaze at a house on Stillman Avenue, May 7.

Photo: Contributed

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Firefighters are responding to a blaze at a house on Stillman Avenue, May 7. Photo courtesy Anthony Rongetti, Chief. Germantown Vol Fire Dept. Danbury.

Firefighters are responding to a blaze at a house on Stillman Avenue, May 7. Photo courtesy Anthony Rongetti, Chief. Germantown Vol Fire Dept. Danbury.

Photo: Contributed

Image 3 of 11

Firefighters are responding to a blaze at a house on Stillman Avenue, May 7, 2012 in Danbury, Conn.
Photo courtesy Anthony Rongetti, Chief. Germantown Vol Fire Dept. Danbury.

Firefighters are responding to a blaze at a house on Stillman Avenue, May 7, 2012 in Danbury, Conn.
Photo courtesy Anthony Rongetti, Chief. Germantown Vol Fire Dept. Danbury.

Photo: Contributed

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Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo: Contributed Photo/ Mark Omasta, Contributed Photo

Image 5 of 11

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo: Contributed Photo/ Mark Omasta, Contributed Photo

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Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo: Contributed Photo/ Mark Omasta, Contributed Photo

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Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo: Contributed Photo/ Mark Omasta, Contributed Photo

Image 8 of 11

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo: Contributed Photo/ Mark Omasta, Contributed Photo

Image 9 of 11

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo: Contributed Photo/ Mark Omasta, Contributed Photo

Image 10 of 11

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo of a house fire on Stillman Avenue in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013.
Please credit:Mark Omasta

Photo: Contributed Photo/ Mark Omasta, Contributed Photo

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Eight people left homeless after fire

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DANBURY -- Brooke Finch was fast asleep in the first-floor apartment she shared with her mother and sister when someone came pounding on their door shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The man, whom she knew as their landlord's cousin, had run downstairs to alert the family that the rest of the house was on fire. Within minutes, the blaze had consumed much of their apartment.

"I grabbed my cat and my dog and kind of just got out of there," Finch said as she sat across the street about 9:30 a.m., watching firefighters scour the still-smoldering house for hot spots.

The four-alarm fire at the aging three-story building at 11 Stillman Ave. left eight people homeless, and one occupant was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and two firefighters received medical attention.

Finch said her upstairs neighbors had as many as six dogs; firefighters said later that one dog died.

Firefighters received the first call to the scene about 8:30 a.m., Danbury Fire Chief Geoff Herald said.

State Rep. Robert Godfrey, who lives next door, said he was awakened about 7:45 a.m. by a woman shouting outside that a house was on fire.

When he glanced out his window, he said, he saw flames and gray smoke billowing from a second-floor bedroom on the east side of the neighboring home. His home escaped damage.

Godfrey said it took firefighters "what felt like an hour or so" to contain the fire.

Officials said the fire was tough to control because it was on every floor, the attic and the basement.

"When we got here, the original report was that there was somebody trapped on the second floor," Herald said.

"Shortly afterward, it was discovered that that was not the case. However, there were several animals in the building -- several dogs in the building -- and several of them were seen running out during the fire operations," he said.

"And the various residents of the structure were telling us that there were still maybe one or two left in there. The firefighting forces did pull out two live animals and they were being resuscitated," Herald said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Finch said she feared her family had lost everything in the apartment, which they moved into two months ago.

She later tweeted, "Can't believe our house just burnt to the (expletive) ground. Amazing how you can lose everything in the blink of an eye."